Learning the SDGs Through Real-World Experiences in Ben Tre’s Eco-sites

In many classrooms, the Sustainable Development Goals appear as colorful icons arranged in a grid of seventeen ambitions. Poverty, climate action, responsible consumption, life on land. The concepts are clear, the language precise. Yet their true meaning often remains abstract when confined to slides and textbooks.

In the Mekong Delta, those same ideas unfold differently.

They appear in the quiet movement of water through mangrove roots, in the rhythm of tidal soil that feeds shrimp and fish, and in the daily decisions of communities who depend on the land while learning how to protect it. Here, sustainability is not a distant global agenda but a set of practices woven into everyday life.

For students, encountering these realities transforms the way the SDGs are understood. Instead of learning about sustainability as theory, they begin to recognize it as a living system where ecology, livelihood, and culture continuously interact.

Few places illustrate this connection more clearly than the eco-sites of Ben Tre.

Ben Tre: where sustainability becomes visible

Situated at the downstream edge of the Mekong Delta, Ben Tre is shaped by water. Three branches of the Mekong River flow through the province before reaching the East Sea, creating a landscape of estuaries, mangrove forests, nipa palm waterways and fertile alluvial islands.

The environment here is delicate yet resilient. Salinity shifts with the tide, mangrove forests stabilize fragile coastlines and coastal communities adjust their livelihoods to the changing rhythms of rivers and seasons.

For educational travel programs, this landscape functions almost like an open-air classroom. Ecological processes that are often discussed only in theory become visible on the ground. Coastal protection, biodiversity, sustainable aquaculture and climate adaptation can all be observed within the daily life of the region.

Within this setting, one eco-site in particular provides a meaningful window into how sustainability takes shape along the Mekong coastline.

Người Giữ Rừng: where conservation and livelihood meet

Located in the coastal district of Binh Dai, the eco-site Người Giữ Rừng - meaning “The Forest Keeper” - represents a community-driven approach to protecting mangrove ecosystems while sustaining local livelihoods.

Rather than treating the mangrove forest as a space isolated from human activity, the model here demonstrates how conservation and economic life can coexist. The surrounding mangrove landscape acts as a natural buffer against coastal erosion and storm impacts, while also supporting small-scale aquaculture practiced by local residents.

Under the canopy of mangrove trees, shrimp, crabs, and other aquatic species grow within a natural tidal environment. This form of ecological aquaculture relies on the health of the forest itself: the roots stabilize sediment, organic matter feeds aquatic organisms and tidal water continuously renews the system.

Seen from this perspective, the mangrove forest functions not only as a protected habitat but also as a foundation for sustainable livelihoods.

Visitors arriving at Người Giữ Rừng encounter a landscape where environmental protection is closely tied to everyday economic activity. Learning about the forest therefore becomes inseparable from understanding how coastal communities adapt to environmental conditions while maintaining long-term ecological balance.

Learning sustainability through experience

Places like Người Giữ Rừng demonstrate how sustainability can be understood through observation rather than explanation alone.

Students exploring the mangrove environment begin to see how root systems help stabilize coastal soil, how tidal water shapes the distribution of plants and aquatic life and how local livelihoods depend on maintaining the health of the ecosystem.

These insights connect directly to several Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to Life Below Water, Life on Land, Climate Action, and Responsible Resource Use.

More importantly, they illustrate how these goals are not abstract frameworks but practical responses to environmental realities.

A landscape shaped by coexistence

What makes Ben Tre especially meaningful as a learning destination is the close relationship between ecological preservation and community livelihood.

Mangrove forests support fisheries. Coastal vegetation reduces the impact of storms and erosion. Local communities experiment with adaptive economic models that allow them to benefit from the forest while maintaining its ecological integrity.

The relationship between people and environment here is therefore not a theoretical discussion about sustainability - it is a continuous negotiation with nature.

For students observing these dynamics, the Mekong Delta offers a clear lesson: sustainable development is not achieved through a single solution but through a balance between environmental systems and human needs.

Experiencing the SDGs in the Mekong Delta

Educational journeys to places like Người Giữ Rừng allow sustainability to be understood through context rather than abstraction. Mangrove forests, coastal communities and tidal ecosystems together form a living classroom where global development goals become visible in everyday practice.

The experience reveals that sustainability is not only about protecting nature. It is also about understanding how ecosystems support societies - and how those societies shape the future of the landscape.

Scivi Travel designs field-based educational programs in Ben Tre, allowing students to explore the environmental systems and community practices shaping the Mekong Delta.

Contact Scivi Travel to design a customized school trip aligned with curricular goals and to create meaningful real-world learning experiences about sustainability.